Ammo Palette Day 2 - Shattered/Mildew

Okay so today's look is ho-hum. I'm on the fence but then again I knew a shimmery blue/green wasn't going to work too well on my NC42 skin (Shattered), however I love Mildew (deep green), the eye shadow. The real mildew wreaks havoc on my asthma and has damaged many lovely shoes I once had. This is the tragedy if you live (or lived) near the ocean!




(L to R: Shattered, Mildew, MAC PP - Bare Study)















So day 2 is off to a meh start. I have to be a good sport and just roll with it. The good note is that I never wore these two shades together and they actually do work but you wouldn't think it looking at them side by side:

Personally, I wouldn't wear these together but then again I'm not one to wear a powdery blue like this. Although, I was very envious of Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) in the later episodes of Brady Brunch - she rocked a powder blue eye shadow. I love that 70's SoCal Surfer girl vibe.

Okay so here is my eye for today's challenge:



MAC Bare Study (soft beige w/gold shimmer) - base from lash line to underneath brow
Shattered - lid
Mildew - crease and outer V
MAC Sense of Style (blackened navy w/drk blue shimmer - Kohl Power Eye Pencil) top lash line only
MAC Haute and Naughty Mascara in Black
Brows - MAC Espresso e/s w/#266 brush

I guess I like it:

Blush - NARS - Oasis (warm pink w/gold shimmer)
Lip Gloss - Ophelia/Easy Lover

Challenge 2...LEX vs. AMMO

Well it's now 25 days till Xmas. I still get annoyed to see Xmas decorations for sale before Halloween but as December approaches I start getting the Holiday spirit. Also it helps that my husband bought a new (fake) tree and put up our festive lights outside the house. We even decorated our new tree...okay cue in the Johnny Mathis Xmas music! Okay let's get back to the matter at hand - gift shopping. If you are like me and have a large extended family you look for deals - you also HATE shopping this time of year. I still refuse partaking in Black Friday (I'm sorry but no deal is worth me standing in the freezing cold at 2AM - even if I can score a big screen TV for $200 less). I am one of those last minute shoppers but the good news is you do catch some good last minute sales. To maximize my Holiday budget I will be revisiting my old stash of makeup. I am taking this time to reunite with an old friend.

I GIVE YOU CHALLENGE 2: 5 days/1 palette

LEX vs. UD's Ammo  Palette

Monday:

First colors up: Smog (deep copper bronze)/Maui Wowie (med. gold w/chunky silver glitter)




(L to R: Smog, MW, D&G #10, UD Underground, MAC PP Groundwork)

Also used:
MAC Paint Pot - Groundwork (base from lashline to under brow)
Dolce & Gabbana eyeliner - #10 (top lashline only)
UD 24/7 - Underground (bottom waterline)

For this quick eye look MAC's Groundwork (mid-tone neutral taupe) was used as a base - smog was then patted on  top of that to my crease. Maui Wowie was applied to the inner corner of lid to middle of iris of eye. I took a fluffy blending brush and smoothed out any harsh lines. I really don't use any of the lighter shades as a highlighter because it's too frosty/glittery for my taste so I used the neutral Groundwork paint pot as a shadow base and highlighter. D&G #10 (drk coffee brown) pencil lined the lop lashline and the bottom lashline/waterline I used UD's 24/7 Underground (metallic taupe) and smudged with the MAC #219 pencil brush.

Other details:
Mascara: MAC Haute and Naughty - Black
Eyebrows: MAC Espresso/#266 brush
Foundation: Barcelona Sheer Glow
Blush - NARS Gilda (coral)
Bronzer - NARS Laguna (golden brown shimmer)
Lipgloss - NARS Sweet Dreams (pink grapefruit)
Lipstick - NARS Falbala (bronze rose shimmer)

Final result:

I have traveled with palette in the past without any other shadows...maybe just an accompanying paint pot so I know I can get through this challenge. This is one of my favorite palettes and this was the one item that introduced me to the Urban Decay line. Also these challenges are good for me - it forces me to dig out gems that are hiding in the bottom of my makeup stash!





Italicized font - taken from MAC/UD website.

Teal Friday...

So along with endless College Football on Friday after Thanksgiving, we have a little something called "Black Friday" here in the States. Crazy people wake up at the un-godly hour of 3AM Friday morning to line up at various retail stores to cash in on crazy discounted items for the upcoming Holiday gift exchange time of the year. I, for one, like sleep, my space and like to take my time shopping. So I opt to stay home. I did manage to make it out of the house for an hour in the morning to get in a 3 mile run - trying to run off all the pecan pie I ate. So to maximize the free time I had I washed some dishes, did laundry and my favorite: took time to play with certain cosmetic items I had purchased months ago and finally experimented!

I finally tried out my MAC Undercurrent Pearlglide eyeliner pencil. I have owned a few shades of this limited edition eyeliner so I have always been a fan. MAC loves to toy with their customers with "Limited Edition" colors - seriously it gets annoying. It was first introduced in the Spring as a part of the Art Supplies collection. I was sad that it sold out by the end of the day of it's first release. You read so many rave reviews online before the products are actually in the store. MAC is genius for creating such a buzz it sometimes  backfires - most stores will put you on a waiting list or pre-sell but what happens is that demand is so high there isn't enough supply to support it. I have gotten burned many times. I now refuse to presell. If I show up and it's there it's meant to be if not, well I'll just move along. Because if you are patient enough a very popular item/color will show up again! Hello Undercurrent eyeliner - reintroduced in the Tartan Tale Holiday line!! Sometimes, it's just all hype and the products aren't all that once you see it in person (Stereo Rose Mineralize Skin Finish).

However, when an item can live up to it's hype it's truly rewarding, such as Undercurrent. It's described as a bluish teal but it pulls more green on me. I also love the way it looks - it's very pigmented and wet looking before you smudge it. I love it smudged - the gold shimmer that's left behind is just stunning. I'm just sorry I wanted a month before trying this out. I paired this with my NARS Rajasthan duo and MAC 'All the Glitters' (beige with gold shimmer)- surprisingly it didn't take very long at all.



(L to R - MAC ALG, NARS Rajasthan duo, Undercurrent pencil)



My eye of the day:

I drew a thick line above my top lashline - I took my #219 brush (MAC) and smudged the top of the thick line to diffuse right below my crease without losing the defined line at my lashes. It left a wonderful shimmery gold base. I took the dark blue-green charcoal shade of the Rajasthan duo and pat it on my lid. I then took the shimmery beige shade and took it to my crease. I also used the dark teal like shade to my lower lashline. Because the MAC Pearlglide liners have small bits of glitter it is NOT recommended to use on the waterline. So I don't always like to line my lashline with them. Next was MAC 'All that Glitters' under my brow. Blend well with fluffy blending brush! Follow up with lots of black mascara and smile.

NO I didn't include a final face photo. I couldn't decide on a lip color to pair with this so I was just so pleased with my eyes.

I did decide to take the easy way out and just apply a mixture of two NARS glosses mixed together:
Ophelia (Strawberry Nectar) and Easy Lover (sheer hot pink)...hmm....maybe I should do a review of that soon. Those are two glossed I would have never thought to pair with each other!

Well...at least I tried

Today, here in the 'States, is the mother of all eating holidays...THANKSGIVING! It wasn't until 1863 when good ol'Abe Lincoln proclaimed it a national annual holiday to celebrate on the 4th Thursday here in the U.S. to commerate the first meal  exchange between the Plymouth colonists and the Native Americans in 1621. Now Americans celebrate by putting on sweat pants or overalls to gorge on Turkey meat, potatoes and pumpkin in every form - your truly included.

This year I will be showing my signs of  true adulthood - we are hosting it here at my house for the very first time. I was even assigned the duty of roasting the damn bird! I keep thinking this is my mother's way of setting me up for disaster...but I know deep down inside she's not THAT evil (well only when she wants to be). I did give myself another challenge - homemade pie with homemade pie dough. Now, I have mastered the layered cake, the cupcake, the perfect cookie, lemon - pecan bars...you name it.I have always been frightened of rolling dough. But I figured to have no fear and just go full force no looking back. Making the dough was actually pretty easy, rolling it wasn't as tough as I thought. I even fit into my pie plate easily. I was confident...I even crimped the edges pretty. I make my pie filling - Chocolate Pecan and pour it into my lovely pie dough. I was swooning and I can't remember the last time I was so proud of myself. Well about 5mns into baking time - it happened. The edges that I crimped so lovingly - COLLAPSED pushing my filling closer to the center. My big pie shrunk into a tart. I was PISSED. I stomped around and got into a mini fight with my husband. I just got annoyed by over compensating compliments - I knew I failed I just didn't want him to lie to me anymore. I gave him the silent treatment. He didn't deserve that - he's a lovely man and that remined me just how lucky I am. Not because I can bake, I have pretty shoes or I can apply makeup well. I am lucky and thankful I have this wonderful man by my side and a healthy, rambunctious daughter that runs up to me to say, "Hi Mommy" then she'll ask me for something to eat. Either way that's all it takes for me to be truly happy.

Okay, so my turkey is coming out pretty well - I am just hoping it's not as dry as I (and many other turkey roasters) feared. Well looks like there'll be extra helping of gravy if that's the case.



The star of the show - hope it's as good as it looks!



and here's my sad little pie:

Oh well at least I tried...



Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Holiday!

Fun w/Melusine...

I decided to try another look with my NARS Melusine duo because for $32 you really want to make sure you get your money's worth!!

I used this same palette of colors and mixed it - just slightly.

This time I used the silver lilac shade (of the Mesuline duo) and applied it on my lid. I used the matte purple shade to contour the outer v of my eyes. I used the two Dior shades the same way (Dark Lilac - crease and Light lavendar - highlight under brow). I lined my eyes with MAC Fluidline - Blacktrack. And taking an eyeliner brush (slightly damp) I lined 3/4 on my bottle lash line. Followed with lots of MAC Haute and Naughty Mascara in Black and I took my MAC pencil brush #219 and smudged my lash lines.

End result:

I wore my glasses today to give me eyes a break (and also maximizing the wear of my disposable contacts). When wearing glasses I really try to wear a colored shadow to make my eyes pop behind my lenses. Hence:

I apologize for bad lighting - I take my pictures with my phone. I am hoping that Santa will grace me with a good digital camera. But in good lighting my eyes pop. I kept my lips simple with NARS Damage sheer lipstick topped w/Oasis lipgloss. On cheeks: EB Daydream bronzer and EB After Sunset pot rouge.

This was a quick and easy look for me, which is nice considering I had to brine a 10lb turkey this morning before heading to the office. That's not the scary part. I made a promise to myself that I'd make friends with homemade dough...ugh...I'll report on the results of making homemade chocolate pecan pie later this weekend.

I can go for one of these right now

Well it's 12pm somewhere right now, right??

So here is my first cocktail review: Hendrick's Gin Gimlet.




mmm...tart YUMMINESS!




Mr. Lex and I try to do a date night at least once every 2 months or so. With an overly active 2 yr old princess that has us serving to every one of her needs, it gets tiring. I get cranky and I revolt resulting in placing the princess in time out for at least 3-5 minutes. She once served 3 timeouts in a row - yes, she can get very feisty. So date nights for us are a total blessing.  Our date spot - the Mission District.

Yes, it's a pretentious HIPSTER heaven but if you overlook that and try not to get annoyed by their conversations of following the bacon wrapped hot dog cart updates on Twitter you can find good things to eat and drink! Also timing is key. Being old parents that we are, eating dinner anytime after 7pm is late and just so CRAAAAAZY. I know we were surprised at ourselves to be eating fancy Mac and Cheese at Grub after 7PM. We finish dinner in about an hour and we weren't ready to go home just yet. Mama still wanted a fancy cocktail because her girl at bar alter ego was begging for one. So walking back to the car we pass by this joint, Bruno's. Okay so judging from the photos you can see it's not a quiet, casual bar. Well it was about 10-11 years ago. Back then the look and vibe was more of a cozy, throw back to an early 60's lounge (think red vinyl plush booths) that the Rat Pack or Don Draper would have frequented to eat a steak dinner, toss back a few martinis and pick up a few drunken broads. You can still do the latter but the 60's lounge vibe was replaced with a Pussycat VIP lounge upstairs with stripper poles....WTF?? Back to the drink. So I noticed that there was nobody (aside from the 3 people) at the bar. This was my shot to go into Bruno's, get a seat at the bar and drink a fancy cocktail because they do serve a good fancy cocktail. It was also a little past 8pm...I guess the Frat boys were still busy ironing their striped button front shirts at the time. I only mention Frat Boys because I noticed a Jager and Patron shot dispenser side by side. If you are over the age of 25 and you like to hear what your date or friends are talking about...come to this bar before 9pm.

I MISS OLD BRUNO'S...but I digress...


Cocktail time:
Hendrick's Gin Gimlet. If you are not familiar with the Hendrick's gin in the black bottle, do yourself a favor and introduce yourself. This is purely subjective, I know but I love gin and I love cucumbers - Hendrick's is a cucumber and rose petal infused gin (match made in heaven) from Scotland. The gimlet's heyday was in the 20's (mid - 19th century for you bar geeks) consisting of nothing more thank gin, Rose's sweetened lime juice (bottled) and soda. Well today you can get that served with Vodka and fresh squeezed limes or with specialty gins like the Hendrick's. Also this can be served on the rocks or shaken, strained into a martini glass. I found this cocktail to be more tart than sweet. I LOVE TART so this cocktail is perfect for me. And also, in the land of overpriced cocktails this one went for $9 - not too bad considering I paid $12 for a pisco sour when having drinks on my husband's birthday. I think I took this down in less then 10mns? I would have drank it faster if I had more money or my goal was to get wasted that night. Maybe not a real sipping cocktail like a Manhattan or traditional Martini but it's a good one to order if you happen to see a Hendrick's bottle behind the barkeep winking and tempting you with it's evil, delicious ways!

Melusine duo

I am still trying to work out the kinks in applying the matte purple shade of this duo. Don't get me wrong, I love this duo but why is it that I feel a slight tug and uneven application of this shade on the first try? Even on top of a primer I noticed that there's a spot on my lid that you can tell needs to be blended out with a fluffy brush. Once that finally gets diffused I can relax and go on about making up the rest of my face. I will say that I like this purple over the Daphne single that was released earlier this fall. The purple in the Mesuline duo has red in it whereas Daphne leaned more on the blue-purple side. I didn't even buy it just based on poor reviews.

There isn't any glitter, thankfully, so it I didn't notice any fall-out spills underneath my eyes or temples. I mention this for those of you familiar with the Hula Hula palette. Lovely colors but man, does it leave you looking like a pixie doing a walk of shame if you don't clean up after applying!

Here's a simply eye I did this morning. I am loving purple shadows right now. I'm thinking of incorporating a taupe with this duo sometime this week.






L to R:
Dark Lilac, Pale Lavendar shade - Dior Night Butterfly palette, Melusine Duo, shimmery black from DIOR Night Butterfly palette

Eyes:

Dark purple - Mesuline Duo - lid

Silver Lilac shimmer - Mesuline Duo - crease

Dark Lilac of Dior quad, Night Butterfly - crease

Light Lavendar of Night Butterfly quad - highlight

So for the rest of my eyes:

MAC Fluidline - Blacktrack

MAC Haute and Naughty Mascara Black

Face:
NARS Barcelona - Sheer Glow foundation

EB Bronzer - Daydream

MAC - Prim and Proper Blush

Lips:

(Aw back to a softer lip color:)

NARS - Damage - sheer muted Grape (lipstick)

NARS - Oasis - rose pink with gold shimmer

(L to R: Damage, Oasis)

Final result:

A review of a past NARS makeover event will be coming soon!

Shoe (Bootie) of the day - 11/22/10

I bought these shoes last year at Zara. These little suede, side zip booties made me pay more attention to footwear at Zara, Mango and also H&M. I love that the heel isn't too high (3') and it's a bit of a wedge. The pointed toe does get a bit uncomfortable by the end of the day but that's just because I have wide feet. They cost me $99(USD) and fortunately I got to use a gift card towards my purchase. I tend to wear these with black tights and dresses (cut above the knee). I also have worn these with black cropped pants and also straight leg slacks for work. I recently went back to Zara and found MANY cute heels and booties but of course there was not enough money in my pocket for them...there was makeup I had to buy. How else am I going to review eye shadows and lipsticks??

Then again...how else am I going to support Shoe of the Day posts?

How was your weekend?

Are you like me? You wake up Sunday morning slightly disappointed knowing just in a few short hours you have to go through the daunting routine of getting up, getting ready and jumping into commute trains or lanes with other disgruntled workers just hoping for the best on a Monday. Maybe I should just reflect on the peaceful time I had with my family at the Marin Headlands Center for the Arts  - it's a pretty neat place for the art community. It's not very often we willingly jump into the car and head over the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County. Yes, it's a $6 toll but it's not that far from home and it's just beautiful once you get off the bridge. You know you are reaching the coastal wilderness when you lose cell phone reception forcing you to forget about checking text messages or in my husband's case, football scores. It was a good mini escape for us - chilly yes, but just a gorgeous walk.

My husband with our mini cupcake

The Arts building is a converted military building dating back from 1907 at Fort Barry and a few steps away houses International visitors with a Hostel and housing for visiting artists. There really is nothing else around...no Safeway...no Target...not even a 7-11. It's pretty isolated but it forces you to get back in touch with you natural surrounding. I did see a few Direct TV satellite dishes outside some of the homes so I guess there is hope for me if I actually found myself here for a week. So much for thinking that this is just another Hippie Commune.

Not the Art Building

Random boat

We did have an actual purpose visiting the space - we visited an artist that my husband knew from art school, Seher Shah. Please read about her and her work here. Here are a few samples of her work in progress:

I admire the artists' dedication and discipline it takes to see the final product of their hardwork. I have written a few short, one-act stage pieces so I know the feeling. I just wish I had more in me to really follow up a few more ideas I have flying in my mind. I'm not a conceptual artist, I don't paint, I can't even properly build a sandcastle. I'm just a former film student working in Corporate America trying to find her way. I still feel an inspiration to nuture the creativity that still lurks within. I'm not ready to join the Hippie Artist Commune but it's nice to know that one can feel the vibe while walking among the trees.

Maybe that's another pupose of this blog...not just spreading the joy of lipstick and shoes but also forcing myself to complete a concise thought when all I want to do is watch mindless television, drink a glass of wine and pass out on the couch next to my husband.

I wonder how often this basketball court was used....

Let's hope this short week runs smoothly - any special Thanksgiving plans? 



Day 5 - If I Could Escape....

Okay it can't be a red lip challenge without channeling this SoCal beauty as an inspiration. I'm not going to lie - I did not like Gwen when No Doubt first hit the scene in the early 90's. I was a punk about it - "who's the blonde chick wearing a bindi...she's so annoying..." well cut to the year 2000. No Doubt was performing live at the X Games here in SF (free event). She was probably the most energetic female performer I ever saw live. I appreciate that in a front woman/man of a band.  She entertained me like I paid to see her. I then saw her again live at the Oakland Oracle Arena about 3yrs ago - this time as a solo act and mother of two small children. She was just as entertaining and fun to watch. Oh Gwen, I'm a hater no more...in fact you are the mom (okay maybe also Angie J.) I secretly wish I could have play dates with - our children would get along so well. She also once mentined that she shopped at the retailer, Clothestime in high school and wear their clothes in her own way. I was an avid shopper at Clothestime as well in the 6th grade and middle school.

Gwen Stefani - still JUST A GIRL...

OKAY on to colors used of Day 5 of my Red lip challenge:




(L to R Arena, Amber Lights, Texture - MAC/NC 42 Skin)


















I took a relatively easy approach to my eyes today.
Amber Lights: Lid - Peach brown shimmer - Frost Finish
Texture - Crease - Reddish brown shimmer - Veluxe Finish - leans on the orange side on me.
Arena -  Highlight - Soft gold peach - Satin Finish. This is my ultimate favorite for a "my lid but better" look - as you can see it almost sinks into my skin.

I finished with a liquid eye liner - Milani Eye Tech - Black. I winged the edges just for that Rockabilly vibe that Gwen rocks so lovely.

I kept cheeks simple with Edward Bess bronzer - Daydream to contour
NARS cream blush - Lokoum - Rose coral - my skin definitely picks up the gold in this color.

Lips:
I know Gwen uses Ruby Woo or Russian Red. But as you know, my lips do not like MAC lipstick unfortunately. So I went with Dolce and Gabbana's Magnifica, a lovely warm red in their Shine formula. It has just a bit more moisture than their Classic lipstick line but just as much pigment.

Final result:

Ha - this is exact my makeup look when I was 16!





This was a great challenge that forced me to wear color on my lips again. Seriously, you are reading about a girl that loved nothing more than a good glossy nude lip. I could whip out a gloss wand or nude lipstick and apply with pure abandon and without a mirror. I had to face the fact - the holidays are approaching and a nude lip wasn't just going to cut it.

I think I had to add an extra five minutes to my makeup routine just for my red lipstick application. There's no rushing that process, well unless you're Courtney Love. Ha - LOVE YA COURTNEY! The irony is that when I was a young teenager I would love nothing more on my face that blood red lips - I guess it must have been all that Sex Pistols, The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees I was listening to. I have embraced the bold color red once again, yet I am still getting use to the attention it brings. Also, it doesn't have to be a bold bright red, you can go with a coral red, tomato, wine or brown based maroon (for that 90's look) if that makes you comfortable. Don't forget cherry lip glosses are great to slowly ease you back to wearing color if you are not ready for the full commitment.

Shoe of the Day - 11/18

Sometimes you will find a gem when you least expect it. I remember around this time last year visiting my mother-in-law in Orlando, FL. We were there for a long weekend and yes, a visit to Disneyworld was made. The off day in between park visits, I had one request - OUTLET SHOPPING! I can't remember exactly where or even the name of the outlet mall but I was in heaven! They had a DIOR OUTLET!!! Unfortunately the items in my price range was not very desireable. I did manange to find a cute black work bag ($39.99 - currently using) and a beautiful, long, charcoal grey and black cashmere cardigan by Rag and Bone ($100) at the Barneys NY outlet. Just as we were about to sit and have lunch. I spot a Kenneth Cole outlet. I think I inhaled my food before my husband, Mom-in-law and daughter took their second bite just so I can run over there. Right when I was going to walk out of the store out of sheer disappointment, I spotted these babies! From the lower price line Reaction: two tone T-strap, 4' (w/a 1/2' platform), open toe, synthetic upper and a rubber outsole. The outsole is what makes the shoe actually comfortable. I can't say or recommend walking from the Embarcadero to the Westfield mall on Market/5th or play a round of B-Ball but I can comfortably walk a few blocks in these shoes with no problem. What makes them even better - the price - $39.99

color on my toes - Stormy (Rescue Beauty Lounge)

I like to wear these with my slim fit cropped ankle pants from The Gap or I pair them with wide or straight leg slacks. When the weather is just right, I pair them with dresses and skirts. I am thinking about wearing them with colorful tights and a black dress when the weather gets even colder.

I get a lot of compliments on these shoes and I have to say they are one of my favorites.

Day 4 - NARS revisited

You another great thing about this challenge? Revisiting products I haven't used in ages. I'm sure my husband will be proud that I'm recycling! So I dug up a NARS red in my stash - Afghan Red. I find it to be the color of a deep red wine...burgandy...merlot? Another good lesson for me is to build up my color vocabulary...okay keeping with the topic. I am a fan of the NARS satin finish lipsticks. I get good wear time with them - about 3 hours before I feel the need to reapply. But if it's one of those days where you're drinking coffee every two hours you may need to reapply sooner. I use Kiehl's lip balm (coconut scented) underneath, blot excess then I line my lips. I layer my lipstick on top. Blot to create my stain and then apply another light layer on top of that. I know there's the general complaint of the lack of smell or plastic like smell but honestly it doesn't bother me. What matters is that there's a good amount of slip and it doesn't make my lips raw and itchy the next day. NARS satin finish is a win for me!

I'm not a fan of matte or frost finishes so I can't comment on the NARS matte and frost finish lipsticks. Matte is to drying and frosts can highlight the flakiness of my lips if they are peeling that day....NOT CUTE!

I wanted to do a variation of the smoky eye for work so I pulled out my NARS Modern Love palette. It was an exclusive NARS for Nordstrom palette bought about 2yrs ago?






Jezebel - shimmering red-brown/copper (lid)

India Song - shimmering walnut (according to NARS site in the crease and bottom lashline)

Alhambra - shimmering champagne (highlight under brow)

Dolce & Gabbana - #10 dark brown espresso liner - top lash line and 3/4 bottom lash line

**other products used - Two Faced Shadow Insurance primer

MAC Haute and Naughy mascara - black**

Keeping with the NARS theme:

Irresistiblement bronzer - golden terracotta - used lightly as a blush

Lips:

MAC Half Red lip liner

NARS Afghan Red - satin finish/garnet.

Finished face:



Day 3 - oh la la

Bonjour, mes amis...sorry my high school French is limited. However, I can place an order in a Patisserie (albeit in broken French), translate a few things in a French Vogue and I know what Cochon means. If you ask my husband, he will roll his eyes and tell you how much I am obsessed with Paris and then make fun of the French. I have been to Paris once and I'm making it my goal to go back as many times they'll allow me. I always end up choosing a French restaurant when my husband wants to take me out for my birthday. If ever in SF and you want to drop serious money for a romantic and fabulous dinner please go here. As a former film student, I appreciate a good vintage foreign film. So you know I love me some Truffaut, Renoir, Godard (just please don't make me watch Weekend (1967) again!) etc. However, what really gets me going is the French idea of beauty and fashion. I am completely enamored with it. I fell in love with all the women, children and men while in Paris. I just felt like a slob while I was there, no matter how hard I tried.

Many moments are spent cojuring up mental images of French beauties that I have seen on screen or in print while putting my makup on in the morning...Sophisticated and regal like Catherine Deneuve or Carole Bouquet? Do I want a sex kitten smoky eye while on vacation look - Brigitte Bardot? Or do I want a modern glamourous bohemian look - Vanessa Paradis...French bad ass - Marion Cotillard...even fashion designer Catherine Malandrino rocks a fierce smoky eye!

Since it's a work day, I tried to combine two elements that come to mind when you think Classic French themed makeup:

The smoky charcoal eye and the red lip.


Catherine Deneuve



Vanessa Paradis French Vogue 2008

I normally like a clean, almost sparse eye look when wearing a bold red. But this time I wanted to try a smoky grey eye with pink red lipstick. Products used today:
NARS
MAC
Dolce and Gabbana.

(L to R - NARS Tokyo fr. Modern Love palette, Paris duo)

Eyes:
Light shimmer grey (middle shade) on my lid and crease
Dark grey (shade closest to my wrist) on my outer V and slightly blended into my crease. Also, I took a MAC #219 pencil brush and lined my bottom lash line slightly with this same shade
Tokyo - (first shade - ivory shimmer) highlight under my brows
 MAC Technakohl eyeliner in Graphblack - to line and tightline my top lashline.
MAC Haute and Naughty Mascara - Black

Face:
Chanel Teint Innocence Compact - Pecan/Walnut
Boi-ing Concealer #3
NARS Laguna bronzer (contour)
Bobbi Brown blush - Peony (bright warm pink)

Lips:
Dolce and Gabbana Ultra - pink red/satin finish
Dahlia lip liner

To complete my French vibe - I topped off with Love and Tears fragrance By Kilian.

End result:


All I need is an Hermes scarf - a girl can dream, right?






















SIDE NOTE - when visiting Paris, please leave the beret at home!

PS. As expected, yesterday's lip look involving MAC products left my lips raw and itchy today. I am hoping I don't further the damage with my D&G lipstick/liner.